Controversy, questions surround deputy warden's sudden resignation

SNYDERSVILLE — Controversy and contradiction continue to swirl around why former Monroe County Correctional Facility deputy warden Daniel B. Slashinski was forced out of his job last month.

DAVID PIERCE

SNYDERSVILLE — Controversy and contradiction continue to swirl around why former Monroe County Correctional Facility deputy warden Daniel B. Slashinski was forced out of his job last month.

Several corrections employees say Slashinski was given an ultimatum — retire, resign or be fired — because of his role in illegally withholding the outgoing mail of an inmate. Warden Marlene Chamblee says no mail incident figured in Slashinski's decision.

Slashinski, 50, suddenly announced his retirement March 27, enabling the 23-year employee to collect his full pension.

Inmate Tom Rice says — in hand-written documents, letters and a formal complaint to jail authorities obtained by the Pocono Record — that Slashinski illegally put a hold on Rice's outgoing mail, without his knowledge. Rice contends items withheld after being placed in a locked wooden box for the post office included time-sensitive filings for his Pike County criminal case.

"It is indisputable that I have rights and privileges set forth in state and federal law regarding my mail," he wrote in his complaint. "It is also indisputable that Deputy Warden Slashinski, acting, or purporting to act in his official capacity issued an order, via e-mail, which impeded the exercising of my rights.

"He ordered my mail be held," Rice continued. "As a result I now have mail items missing, legal mail delayed, and have had to replace legal documents believed to be lost."

One person with ties to the correctional facility expressed the belief that Slashinski was "set up" by an unknown party — not necessarily Rice — to take the rap for the withheld mail. This person says Slashinski looked for and found some missing mail after hearing about the incident, then turned it in to other jail officials.

Chamblee, who was hired as warden in early January, said Rice's allegations aren't true and that it had nothing to do with Slashinski leaving.

"The accusation that inmate is making is invalid," Chamblee said. "He has not had any problems getting his mail out. I have no knowledge of that. The mail has been going out as scheduled."

Rice provided correctional facility employees with a chronology of events he said took place since early January. He said he mailed documents to the Pike County court clerk Jan. 17, but called that office Jan. 25 and was told they hadn't received his filing. He said a personal letter also didn't reach its destination.

Rice wrote that he mailed a new petition to the court — a furlough request from a sentence stemming from his conviction of trying to smuggle illegal drugs into the Pike jail for his wife — on Feb. 7.

Pike County Clerk Denise Fitzpatrick says her office received furlough requests from Rice on Jan. 28 and Feb. 21. She said they have no record of any call Rice may have made to them to inquiring about the whereabouts of his mailed filings.

"The girls (in the office) were not aware of him calling, no," Fitzpatrick said Monday after asking her staff.

At least some other aspects of Rice's story, however, have been corroborated by several jail personnel who called the Pocono Record. Two sources say Rice's mail was withheld after Rice complained that he didn't receive an expected money order. They say the mail hold was ordered so that his outgoing letters could be held to a light in an effort to determine if the missing money order was actually in Rice's possession and being snuck out of the jail. They suspected Rice was trying to get compensated for the missing check that really wasn't missing.

A couple of days later, Rice announced he found the money order under his pillow, the officials say. Jail cell doors are open during part of the day and inmates often are in different parts of the building, so several people have access to the cells.

In mid February, Rice wrote, multiple night-shift employees to whom he inquired told him to bring up his mail problems with the day shift. One night officer told him his mail was being held by day staff.

Rice said he was told on Feb. 19 that the mail-hold order had been rescinded. Rice said he brought up the matter the next day during a meeting attended by the warden, and Slashinski promised to investigate.

According to Rice, several night-shift workers told him they disagreed with the decision to hold his mail. One officer told him the mail was sitting on the desk of Records Administrator Will Searfoss, but Rice said he was eventually told by other personnel that Searfoss was perplexed about why he was getting Rice's outgoing letters.

"I actually cannot comment on any of this," Searfoss said Monday. He said any comment would have to come from Chamblee.

Rice said Slashinski personally told him that his mail had never been delayed. Rice said his computer use privileges were revoked the same day.

In early March, said Rice, Slashinski pleaded with him to drop a formal complaint Rice had filed.

"He let me know he would get my computer privileges back if I would work with him by not making any more waves," Rice wrote. "He assured me all my mail was moving now and nothing was being delayed."

The computer access was restored but Rice pressed his formal complaint. An investigation was launched. Rice said Chamblee received a copy of the email in which Slashinski ordered staff to hold up his outgoing mail. Rice contends Chamblee told him that Slashinski acted improperly.

"She admitted that Slashinski had been unlawfully holding my mail and told me she would get back with me about my remedies," Rice wrote. "Have not heard from her since."

The jail rejected Rice's formal complaint.

Rice claims Chamblee has ignored his efforts to turn in his grievance appeal to her, a required step before Rice can file a civil suit in federal court. Rice says he will seek $500 in compensatory damages and $100,000 in punitive damages.

Chamblee says Rice's assertions about the mail-withholding aren't true. But she hung up before being asked whether she has delayed receipt of his appeal.

Monroe County Commissioner Donna Asure, chairwoman of the county prison board, said she received copies Monday of the same documents sent to the Pocono Record. She said the prison board will discuss it privately at today's regular monthly meeting.

"It's a personnel matter," said Asure. "I will go through it in executive session."

Asure said there are circumstances under which prison officials can legally withhold an inmate's mail.

"We have a policy on mail and we have to make sure the policy is followed," Asure said. "It is my understanding under certain criteria outgoing or incoming mail can be examined or withheld."